eyriq wrote:cb1115 wrote:Mother. Of. God.Exclusive: Howard wants trade despite Magic ousting Van Gundy, Smith
Dwight Howard wants out of Orlando, the events of today notwithstanding, a source close to Howard tells SheridanHoops.com
On the day coach Stan Van Gandy and general manager Otis Smith lost their jobs with the Magic, a source who has spoken with Howard recently said the All-Star center desperately wants to be traded prior to the start of next season.
And although the Brooklyn Nets are still considered the frontrunner, “it is not going to be a one-horse race,” the source said, listing the Mavericks, Knicks and — to a lesser degree — the Clippers and Lakers as among the destinations that would appeal to Howard.
http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/05/21/magic-oust-coach-stan-van-gundy-gm-otis-smith/
Whether this is true or not is irrelevant. Dwight is under contract for another year, which means, at minimum, we hang on to him for half a season and see if we can't persuade him via the moves we make, starting by hiring a new GM and new coach. We'll see how Dwight feels after speaking with the new front office personnel, and after that, we'll see how he feels once we round out the roster, make draft day trades, position ourselves for free agency in the coming years, etc. All that will transpire before Dwight's opinion on whether he wants to sign an extension or not even matters.
And I suspect that once all that plays out, assuming we hire competent staff, we'll be a rather appealing landing spot for Howard (has history here, can earn the largest contract here, can solidy his legacy as a Magician for life, and can attract free agents if our capspace is properly managed, setting up the opportunity to bring him in a couple proper sidekicks). Stan and Otis's chairs aren't even cold yet.
Let the process play out for a bit.
